The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 5

Qi Ran’s hand rested on Gu Han’s wrist, his soft, delicate cheek gently rubbing against Gu Han’s palm. He looked incredibly obedient and cute. “Won’t this be too much trouble for President Gu?”

Cradling Qi Ran’s face in his palm and hearing his gentle tone, Gu Han’s heart melted. He didn’t dare imagine his own expression right now, his love and intense protective instinct were written all over his face. When Gu Han spoke, his voice was light and tender: “It’s no trouble. I was truly too worried about you, and I hope I can relieve your pain.”

Qi Ran shifted his body, moving from a full side lying position to a semi-supine one, completely exposing his abdomen. His puppy like eyes gazed straight at Gu Han, his soft lips parting slightly: “Thank you.”

Gu Han’s hand gently covered Qi Ran’s stomach, cautiously stroking it while coaxing him: “No need to be so polite. Get some rest. I’ll call someone to remove the IV needle for you during the night.”

“President Gu, you must remember to rest too,” Qi Ran said, worried about Gu Han in return. “You don’t need to be this worried about me all the time.”

“Alright,” Gu Han curved his lips into a smile. “I will.”

While Gu Han called it “comforting” in name, what he was giving Qi Ran was bordering on caressing. He felt an infinite sense of affection even in the repetitive motion of gently stroking Qi Ran’s abdomen. Drowsy, Qi Ran closed his eyes. His small stomach rose and fell slowly under Gu Han’s palm. In that moment, Gu Han had already envisioned their entire wedding scene.

Once Qi Ran fell fast asleep, Gu Han leaned in closer to examine his features, light black brows, a high-bridged nose, and slightly flushed lips. He was too beautiful. Gu Han was truly infatuated.

To Gu Han, Qi Ran’s charm was stronger than the pull of gravity. Before meeting Qi Ran, Gu Han had never felt such an intense, physical attraction. Even touching his hand made his heart race like a frantic deer. In other words, Gu Han’s body had fallen in love with Qi Ran before his consciousness did, a love carved into his genes that no one could defy.

Gu Han stared blankly at the sleeping Qi Ran and thought to himself: I really want to marry you.

For now, at least for this moment, Gu Han only dared to say such things in his heart.

While Qi Ran slept peacefully under Gu Han’s meticulous care, it wasn’t very late, only nine o’clock. This was the time the bosses headed home after the “Top Ten Conference.” This group of people was particularly idle, as soon as they settled in, they started calling Zhou Cheng one by one, addressing him as “Director Zhou” and asking about Qi Ran.

Regarding Zhou Cheng’s status: his official title was General Manager of Ruihao. However, that crowd always called him Director Zhou because the Chairman of Ruihao had been sentenced to twenty years for the “Garden Villa Collapse Case.” Only a third of those twenty years had passed, and his release was nowhere in sight. Thus, Zhou Cheng was currently acting on behalf of Ruihao.

To the public, Zhou Cheng was the General Manager, internally, to the board and management, he was the Acting Chairman.

So many calls flooded Zhou Cheng’s phone that he couldn’t keep up. His head throbbed. The questions were always the same: they either asked if Qi Ran and Gu Han had known each other for a long time, or if Gu Han liked Qi Ran. They speculated that a gay man like Gu Han would most favor a little beauty like Qi Ran. After all, Gu Han had publicly stated his ideal type: a fair-skinned, beautiful, and capable boy who could trigger a physical attraction in him and if the boy was in poor health, that was a plus. That would be the person Gu Han would love deeply for a lifetime.

Qi Ran fit these criteria perfectly.

Zhou Cheng had originally been fretting over the Qi Ran situation because PUA tactics weren’t working on him or rather, they never had. Qi Ran had been clear headed from start to finish, simply enduring humiliation for three years. Zhou Cheng’s “Dao heart” had shattered, feeling like the world’s biggest failure for being played like a monkey for three years by someone he thought he had caged.

However, after receiving those calls, Zhou Cheng’s bad mood vanished. He came up with a scheme. Since Gu Han likely knew Qi Ran or even if he didn’t, the fact that a cold, pretentious entrepreneur like Gu Han would actively help an obscure real estate salesman meant there was either “liking” or “prior acquaintance” involved.

Zhou Cheng thought: Why not play to his interests? He would pretend to flatter Gu Han by sending Qi Ran to him as a personal secretary. Zhou Cheng knew exactly how important a secretary could be. He was surrounded by at least four long-legged female secretaries, one was on leave because she was about to give birth (Zhou Cheng had even given her ten thousand yuan), leaving three by his side. He could do whatever he wanted in the office. With his wife and daughter out of town, the thought that the secretary was likely carrying a son made him swell with pride, tossing his fears of divorce aside and becoming intoxicated by his own “charm” with women.

Zhou Cheng had considered this carefully. Gu Han had never hired a secretary. Yu Shen was the only one close to him. Honestly, Yu Shen was quite good-looking, a clean-cut man with gold-rimmed glasses and a scholarly air. The two had worked together for years while maintaining a “pure” professional relationship. To Zhou Cheng, the fact that Gu Han’s private life was so clean meant he was incompetent. No matter how much money he had, he was lacking something. Zhou Cheng believed that whether one liked men or women, a truly capable man should have someone on each arm and lead a decadent life.

Thus, Zhou Cheng planned to break Gu Han from this angle. He would personally invite Gu Han out to discuss transferring Qi Ran to him as a personal, “close” secretary. If Qi Ran became close to Gu Han, he could easily obtain Jianchen’s secrets. By tripping them up and eliminating Jianchen, Ruihao would become the undisputed number one of the Top Ten.

“That’s how we’ll do it,” Zhou Cheng smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. He had thin lips, a high bridge, but a thin nose, a face that looked inherently petty. Even when not smiling, he had some looks, which was why he attracted women to serve as his “personal secretaries” though the actual work involved was unspeakable. He lit a cigarette and muttered through the smoke, “Gu Han, Jianchen has been in the spotlight for many years. It’s time you took a rest.”

Watching over him until late into the night, Gu Han was very sleepy but forced himself to stay awake. He watched the IV bottle, and as the last of the clear liquid trickled down, he called the nurse to remove the needle. Just as he was about to place Qi Ran’s hand (which still had the indwelling needle port) down, Qi Ran woke up. He opened his eyes and looked at Gu Han, his voice raspy from sleeping: “President Gu, haven’t you rested yet?”

“Not yet, I was waiting for your needle to be pulled,” Gu Han said, looking tired. His smile toward Qi Ran was tinged with exhaustion. “Did I disturb you?”

“No, it hurt a little when the needle came out,” Qi Ran touched Gu Han’s hand. “If I hadn’t woken up, would President Gu have watched over me all night?”

Gu Han nodded. “You just checked into the hospital and your condition is unstable. I wanted to watch you a bit longer.”

“Then President Gu’s health will be ruined,” Qi Ran moved back, making some space on the bed. “Since President Gu is worried about me and isn’t resting for my sake, then come sleep with me. You’ll feel more at ease that way, won’t you?”

Gu Han’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Qi Ran’s smile was always soft and polite. “We are two grown men, there’s no need to avoid suspicion. If President Gu doesn’t like sleeping with me, then go rest on the escort bed nearby. I can’t just watch you ruin your health.”

“No, no, it’s just…” Gu Han was so nervous he became incoherent. “I was afraid you wouldn’t like having a stranger near you. If I sleep with you, would it be too presumptuous?”

Qi Ran’s beautiful puppy eyes blinked. He looked at Gu Han quietly for a moment before speaking again: “Not a stranger. We’ve talked for a long time, and President Gu said he sees me as a friend. Since we are friends, it isn’t presumptuous.”

Hearing Qi Ran explain it so clearly, Gu Han suddenly felt a sense of loss, even despondency. Qi Ran was always so polite. His concern for Gu Han was perfectly measured, just like Yu Shen’s sharp tongue, his sense of boundaries fell perfectly on the threshold. To Gu Han, these were moments of deep affection, but to Qi Ran, they were merely the concern of a friend. He was too polite, too distant, even his soft words sounded cold in their formality.

Gu Han felt like a very well-behaved dog that had wagged its tail frantically for a long time, only to receive a polite pat from Qi Ran. No hug, nothing. Of course the little dog would be dejected!

This “accursed sense of boundaries” was enough to drive the little dog crazy.

Despite his dejection, Gu Han quickly climbed onto the hospital bed. While his mouth had asked if it was presumptuous, his body was very honest. He lay on his side next to Qi Ran, looking into his bright black eyes and long, thick lashes. Gu Han’s heart began to thud wildly again, so loud he could hear it himself.

“President Gu, what’s wrong? Your face is so red. Are you unwell?”

Qi Ran felt Gu Han was acting strange and asked warmly, “Should I call the doctor?”

“No, I’m not unwell. My health is very good, you don’t need to worry.”

Just like before, Gu Han reached out his hand, letting Qi Ran rest his head on his palm while his fingers continued to gently massage the back of Qi Ran’s neck. Qi Ran didn’t close his eyes, instead showing concern for Gu Han: “Am I pressing down too hard on you?”

“No,” Gu Han said with a smile. “Just rest easy.”

Qi Ran was very self-possessed. Even as he obediently went to sleep following Gu Han’s words, he didn’t intentionally lean into Gu Han’s embrace. Gu Han’s hand continued to gently rub his stomach. Qi Ran had a bit of a gastric spasm, a frequent occurrence whenever he was in pain. Gu Han could feel the stomach wall twitching under his fingertips. He pressed his finger against the twitching knot and rubbed slowly. Qi Ran felt the pain, opened his eyes again, and seeing Gu Han’s serious expression, didn’t stop him. He only thanked him softly: “Thank you, President Gu, for rubbing my stomach. I feel much better.”

“As long as it helps,” Gu Han coaxed him to sleep. “Sleep well. You need plenty of rest. I’m here to take care of you.”

Qi Ran closed his eyes, recalling Cheng Dan’s words and connecting them with Gu Han’s behavior today. He was certain that Gu Han’s concern for him wasn’t entirely “pure,” because it was too excessive. Gu Han’s words were polite and respectful, but eyes don’t lie. That hazy affection was impossible to fake.

It wasn’t that Qi Ran didn’t like Gu Han. In fact, Qi Ran also felt that physical attraction. He could tell that he and Gu Han were mutually drawn to each other.

However, Qi Ran still restrained his emotions and maintained his composure. He wanted to think things through completely, to know for sure if he was willing to spend a lifetime with Gu Han. Qi Ran was extremely cautious. He had been so busy with work that he rarely learned about Gu Han through news or gossip. Having never been in a relationship, he felt a bit of fear toward the unknown. Rather than falling in love instantly, he wanted to know what Gu Han’s personality was really like, so he decided to wait a bit longer.

Gu Han thought Qi Ran had fallen asleep. He pressed his fingertips against the spasmodic knot in Qi Ran’s stomach, wanting to slowly rub it away. Gu Han’s doctor friend had said that rubbing out the spasm knot would greatly alleviate the pain. Just as he was gently massaging it, his fingers were suddenly pressed down by Qi Ran’s fair hand. Gu Han looked up and met Qi Ran’s half-closed, beautiful eyes and soft gaze. Qi Ran’s pale red lips parted slightly as he said:

“President Gu, don’t rub the spasm any further… it hurts.”